Radicalization

The term "radicalization" unifies diverse experiences of individuals who become violent actors, ranging from former drug dealers to students and professionals. This book explores radicalization as something produced by active participants, attempting to make sense of themselves and their world, and offers powerful portraits of the immersive worlds of social media fundamental to present-day radicalization. It offers a bold new way of understanding the contemporary allure of jihad and provides important directions in responding to it.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 224 pages
Publication date: 12 October 2018
Publisher: Polity Press

From Paris to San Bernardino, Barcelona to Manchester, home-grown terrorism poses one of the most pressing challenges confronting Western nations. Attempts to comprehend jihadism have often treated it as a manifestation of political violence or religious conflict. However, as we delve deeper into the lives of those involved in radicalization, these explanations become increasingly problematic.

In his captivating book, Kevin McDonald challenges the conventional notion of radicalization by revealing that it encompasses a wide range of experiences. These individuals, whether they traveled to Syria or carried out attacks at home, come from diverse backgrounds, including former drug dealers, gang members, students, professionals, mothers with young children, and schoolgirls. McDonald's innovative approach seeks to understand radicalization not as something imposed on individuals but as a product of active participants who are striving to make sense of themselves and their world.

Through powerful portraits of the immersive worlds of social media, which play a crucial role in contemporary radicalization, McDonald offers a fresh perspective on the allure of jihad. Radicalization provides valuable insights and directions for responding to this pressing issue.

Weight: 338g
Dimension: 153 x 227 x 17 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781509522613